{"id":49889,"date":"2024-04-19T12:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T10:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2028014"},"modified":"2024-04-19T13:19:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T11:19:03","slug":"why-are-two-eastenders-cast-members-running-the-london-marathon","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/why-are-two-eastenders-cast-members-running-the-london-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are two EastEnders cast members running the London Marathon?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a soap first! <\/p>

By Helen Daly\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 19 April 2024 at 10:06 AM<\/p>

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The London Marathon will take place on Sunday 21st April, and two people will be running as part of an EastEnders storyline in a soap first.<\/p>\n

Jamie Borthwick and Emma Barton will be running in character as Honey Mitchell and Jay Brown for part of a storyline in which the dearly departed Lola Pearce-Brown (played by Danielle Harold) signed them up for the gruelling race.<\/p>\n

The EastEnders crew will be kept very busy over the weekend, as they will be filming scenes from the start, Cutty Sark (6 miles in), Tower Bridge (13 miles in) and the finish lines, which will then appear in Monday\u2019s (22nd April) episode!<\/p>\n

Find out more below about what Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick have said about the storyline, and how their training is going.<\/p>\n

Why are Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick running the London Marathon in character?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s all part of a tear-jerking storyline to keep Lola\u2019s memory alive<\/a><\/strong>, as the actors explained to press including RadioTimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Barton explained: \u201cIt\u2019s sort of keeping her alive. A lot of people, when they\u2019re going through [this with] family members, loved ones with illnesses or they\u2019ve lost [someone], people do want to show their appreciation to the carers that have looked after them, the charities that have supported people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really clever how Chris Clenshaw\u2019s come up with this idea. I just think it\u2019s lovely, and it\u2019s really important to the show to keep her alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had such a massive impact, and we were blown away by the response. It\u2019s a real honour to be asked to do this storyline.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actors themselves will be running for charities close to their hearts, with Barton raising money for Children in Need and Borthwick choosing Prostate Cancer UK.<\/p>\n

As for training, it\u2019s understandably been tough, but they\u2019re ready for the challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Jamie\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Jamie Borthwick as Jay Mitchell and Emma Barton as Honey Mitchell.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Borthwick said: \u201cIt feels great. It feels painful on my knees and my legs, but it feels really good. I\u2019m actually quite honoured to be asked, really.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pleased we chose Lola\u2019s storyline to be involved in [the London Marathon]. It\u2019s tough on the old knees, but the on the whole [it\u2019s going] alright!\u201d<\/p>\n

Barton, who previously ran five years ago in memory of Barbara Windsor, explained:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve worked a lot harder than I did the first time round. It was quite short-notice about five years ago, when I ran it for Barbara\u2019s Revolutionaries [in support of Dame Barbara Windsor].<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty exciting, really, because it\u2019s never been done before. It\u2019s a massive thing, isn\u2019t it, the marathon? We\u2019re a London-based show and we\u2019re doing something that\u2019s never been achieved before. So it is very exciting, it\u2019s very nerve-wracking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n